Automatic stopping device for phonographs.



E. C. WALTER. AUTOMATIC STOPPING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION HLED NOV- 4,1913- 1,141,507. Patented J 11116 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET ITNESSES'. l INVENTOR MAM k A, Edward Mfillibr v 9 BY I E. C. WALTER. AUTOMATIC STOPPING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4. I913.

Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESSES: q INVENTUK 1 1 ZdwardCI/Jlfer @Zmk Wm M -ATTOR are cushions 13 of leather or othersoft material and headed studs or stops 12 adapted to enter the elongated holes or incuts 11 to hold the arms 12 close to the plates 11 and to limit the up and down movemen of the said arms. Attached to the rear en 5 of the arms 12 are springs 14, which are also atmight be used.

While the needle is being placed in the tone-groove 8, the cushions 13 abut against the record -7 first, and then the weight of the tone-arm 4 and the reproducer 5 will extend the springs 14 until the needle 9 rests in the tone-groove 8. The cushions 13 are held stationary by resting on the record 7 while the rear ends of the arms 12 are turning on their fulcra 12 and are being lowered to allow the needle to rest in the tone-groove. This-action allows for the use of needles of different lengths or different thicknesses of records or both, and causes the stops 12 to be moved away, from the ends of the incuts 11.

The cushions, by resting in the tone-groove or on top of the record, will have a tendency to steady and feed the tone-arm and reproducer across the record. This will permit the stylus to lie more evenly in the tonegroove and also relieve the outer side of t e tone-groove to some extent of the -St1fl1l1 incident to feeding the tone-arm and reproducer across the record. The stylus being relieved of this strain is free to receive the full effect of the vibrations from the tone-groove, resulting in the production of .clear and natural tones.

One of the arms 12-'preferably the one farthest from the needle-overlies the other arm 12 and is separated therefrom (when the arms are in their lowermost posi tion and when the sto s 12 are abutting against the lower en s of the elongated holes or incuts 11 by a small space 12".) By this arrangement, the left arm 12-that farthest from the needle 9 -will contact and a magnet 17. The magnet 17 upon being energized by the battery 16 (when contact is made between the arms 12) moves an armature-arm 18 which is fulcrumed on a projection 19 of the magnet-support 19. The other end of the arm 18 is notched at 18 to form a latch in which the lower end 6 of the starting-lever 6 is held when the lever is moved by the operator to the starting or running position. A light spring 20 is adapted to cause the arm 18 to latch by the lower end 6 of the lever when being brought to the starting position.

Attachedto the lower end 6 of the starting lever and also to a pin 21 on the under-; side of the base 1 is a spring 22 of suilicient strength to move the starting lever to the offposition when the lever is released from the notch 18 in the armature arm 18 either by the action of the magnet 17 on the armature arm 18 when said magnet is energized, or by means'now to be described:

A portion 18 of the armature arm 18 proects up through the top of the cabinet and forms a means whereby the operator may, by 1 pressing thereon, move said arm (in lieu of from the notch 18" therein.

To conserve the life of the battery 16, a

break 23 in the wiring is maintained when the starting-lever 6 is at the off-position. When the lever is moved to the on-position, this break 23 in the circuit is closed by the lower endt6 of the lever 6 abutting against and moving a flat spring 24 into contact with another flat spring 25. One of the wires 15 is cut and an end fastened to each of the springs 24 and 25.

When the operator moves the lever 6 to the on-position, the spring 22 is tensioned sufficiently automatically to return the same to the off-position when released, thus breaking the circuit at 23 and causing the machine to come to a stop.

The tone-record is provided with a depression 26, positioned at a predetermined distance from the inner end oi the tonegroove 8. In lieu of this, the record may be provided with a slight'ridge 27 positioned at a predetermined distance from the inner end of the tone-groove 8. The depression 26, or the ridge 27 (Figs. 2 and 5) of the record will permit the left arm 12 todrop when the needle arrives at the end of the groove, thereby forming acontact at 12 between the two arms 12; or will cause the right arm 12 to rise to contact with the left arm 12, thereby completing an electrical circuit between the battery 16 and the magnet 17 when the starting-lever 6 is at the onposition, which position is necessary to close the break 23 in the wiring at that point. It will, therefore, be clear that b using a record rovided either with the ridge 27, or with e depression 26, properly placed with relation tothe end of the tone-groove 8, in connection with. a'machine equipped with my device, all that is necessary for the operator to do is, first, to place the record 7 on the disk, then, to start the machine by moving the starting-lever 6 to the on-position, and, finally,-to place the needle 9 in the outer end of the tone-groove 8. When the record 7 has been played, the machine will, by means of my improvement, automatically stop running.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that I have devised a structure which achieves the several objects hereinabove set forth, as well as other objects, and that it is adapted to perform its functions with certainty of operation and without in any Way disturbing the operation or function of the phonograph itself.

While I have hereinabove described my invention in detail and illustrated a particular form of structure, nevertheless, it is to be understood that the disclosure is merely an exemplification of one of many possible embodiments; and, also, that the following claims are directed to the structure generically and are to interpreted broadly, except where the details are specified therein.

What I claim is:

1. In a phonograph, a rotating member, a swinging member engaging said rotating member, and a plurality of arms and normally separated overlappin contact-points mounted on and insulated rom the swing ing member and movable under the influence of the rotating member to eliminate the'separation between the contact-points and permit them to contact one with the other.

2. In combination, a swinging member, arms mounted thereon and insulated therefrom, and overlapping contact-points and disk-engaging cushion-elements carried by the forward ends of the arms.

3. In combination, a swinging member, a pair of overlapping arms carried thereby,

' cushions carried by the forward ends of the arms, and springs engaging the rear ends of the arms.

4. In combination, a swinging member, a

support carried thereby, a plate at each side of the support, an arm fulcrumed to each plate, cushions carried by the forward ends of the arms, overlapping contact-points also carried by said arms, and springs connecting with the arms and the plates.

is In combination a swinging-member, a support fastened to the member, two plates fastened to the support and insulated from one another and from the member, and arms fastened to the plates and overlapping one another and movable to abut against each other.

6. In combination, a rotating membeiya swinging member, a support on the swinging member, a plate disposed at each side of the support and insulated from each other and from the swinging member, an arm carried by each plate and one overlapping the other and normally separated from that other, cushions carried by the forward ends of the arms, and springs fastened to the arms and to the plates and operating to cause the arms to be loweredwhenever free to do so.

7. The combination in a phonograph, of a support, a rotating member supported thereby and provided with a depression, a. swinging member normally overlying the rotating member, and arms carried by and insulated from the swinging member and overlapping one another and normally disconnected and relatively movable to abut against one another when one of said arms drops into the depression of said rotating member.

8. The combination in a phonograph, of a support, a rotating member supported thereby and provided with a depression, a swinging member normally overlying the rotating member, a supporting-element carried by the swinging member, and arms carried by the supporting element and insulated from one another and overlapping one another and normally disconnected from each other and relatively movable when actuated by said depression to abut against each other.

9. The combination in a phonograph, of a support, a rotating member supporte thereby. and having a depression, a swinging member, overlapping contact points carried by the swinging member, and cushions carried by the contact points and arranged to rest on the rotating member to maintain a space between the contact points until one of the cushions vdrop into the depression insaid rotating member thereby causing the contact points to have relative movement and to abut against one another.

10. The combination of a disk, a swinging arm, normally non-contacting contact points attached to said arm, and cushions carried by said contact points and adapted to traverse said disk and thereby hold the contact points apart, and a depression for receiving one of the cushions and thereby lowering one of said arms imtil the contact point carried thereby contacts with the contact point carried by the other arm.

11.. The combination in a phonograph, of a disk provided with a depression, a battery, a magnet connected thereto, a swinging arm, arid overlapping arms carried by said arm and connected to said battery, said arms forming a contact to complete the circuit between said battery and magnet when one of said arms drops into the depression in said disk.

12. The combination in a phonograph, of a swinging arm, self-adjus ing and overlapping arms carried by the arm, cushions attached to said arms, and a rotating member upon which the swinging arm and cushions rest, the arms being self-adjustin to allow the swinging arm to be sustained Ty the rotating member in various positions of elevation.

13. The combination in a phonograph, of a swinging arm, self-adjusting and overlapping arms carried by the arm, and cushions carried by said arms, he latter being adjustable to permit relative movement 01 said swinging arm and said arms carriedthereby.

14. The combination in a phonograph, of a disk, a swinging member provided with a removable projection arranged to rest on said disk, overlapping and normally disconnected arms carried by said swinging member, and cushions on the ends of the arms, the lower edges of the cushions normally occupying a position below the removable projection but positionable in line with the extremity of the same when it and the cushions rest upon the disk and thereby holding the overlapping arms in a non-contacting position.

15. The combination in a sound-producing machine, a swinging arm, overlapping electrical contact-points mounted on the swinging arm and insulated t normally out of contact with o e another, a support, a rotatin member carried by the support and provlded with a groove, and means carried by the rotating member for permitting the contact points to contact with one another.

phonograph, of a member mounted 1 arm provided with a catch for holding the starting lever in an on-position, a spring for 1 moving the starting lever to an off-position when released from the catch, a magnet adapted when energized to move said armature-arm to release the startin lever from the catch, a battery forenergizlng the magnet, a swinging arm, a holder carried by the swinging arm, a needle in the holder and arranged to travel in the groove in said member, a pair of arms, overlapping and normally disconnected electrical contactpoints and cushions thereon, said arms being fulcrumed to said' swinging arm and electrically connected to said battery and magnet, said cushions being arranged to rest upon the rotatable member to maintain disconnection of said contact points and be moved across therotatablermember by the needle traveling in the groove therein until one of the cushions drops into the depression in said member thereby causing one of the 1 arms and one of the contact points to be lowered until it abuts against the other contact point and completes an electrical cirerefrom and cuit, this causing actuation of the armaturearm and release of the starting lever from the catch therein.

17. The combination in a phonograph, of a swinging member, adjustable overlapping arms attached thereto, cushions attached to said arms, and a rotating member upon which the swinging member and cushions rest, the arms being adjustable to permit the swinging member to be held in various elevated positions.

18. The combination in a phonograph, of a rotating memberya swinging member supported atone end thereby, and adjustable overlapping arms attached to said swinging member and adapted to rest on said rotating member, said arms being adjustable to permit relative movement of the' swinging member and the arms carried thereby.

19. The combination in a phonograph, of a rotating member, and a swinging member supported at one of its ends thereby and provided with vertically movable overlapping contact points adapted to rest on said rotating member, said overlapping contact points being vertically movable to permit relative movement of said swinging member and contact points and to thus assure their contact with said rotating member.

20. The combination in a phonograph, of a rotating member, a swinging member supported at one end thereby and movable in relation thereto, and vertically movable arms attached to the swinging member and provided with overlapping contact points andcushion elements adapted to rest on said rotating member while saidswinging member occupies any of a plurality of positions relatively tothe rotating member.

'21. The combination in a phonograph, of a swinging member, a pair of overlapping and normally non-contacting arms fulcrumed thereon, stops for holding the arms in a non-contacting position, and springs for holding said arms in said position and against said sto s.

22. The comblnationin a phonograph, of a swinging member,

tion whereby said projections will be held' against the lower ends of the incuts.

' 23. The combination in a phonograph, of

a swinging member, a support carried there-m by, a plate provided with an incut fastened one on each side of the support, and an arm provided with a projection fulcrumed on each plate, the projection entering said incut to limit movement of the arm.

24. In a phonograph, the combination of a swinging member, a support carried thereeach of said-arms being provided by, a plate provided with an incut and attached one on each side of said support, a pair of overlapping and normally non-contacting arms each fulcrumed on a plate, a

pro ection on each arm adapted to enter an support, said plates each being provided with an elongated hole, an arm fulcrumed on each plate and provided with a projection adapted to enter the hole of the plate to which the arm is fulcrumed, springs attached to said arms and said plates and adapted to hold said projections against the ends of said holes, upon which said arms rest to move said projections away from the ends of the holes.

26. The combination in a phonographyof a revolving disk, a swinging member, a pair of arms provided with overlapping and normally non-contacting contact points and cushion elements attached to said swinging member, said cushions being adapted to rest upon said disk, and said dis having means for causing one of the said arms to move relatively to and contact with the other arm.

In testimon whereof I alfix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

EDWARD C. WALTER.

Witnesses:

" THOMAS C. ADAMSON,

DAVID J. OLIVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fidommisstoner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

and a rotating member 

